Here’s a Quick Way to fingernail under microscope

an intravitam method of study involving the examination, under magnification, of capillaries of the epithelial or endothelial integuments of animals and man (skin, mucous membranes).In man, the capillaries are examined in the skin fold of the nail bed, where they can be viewed most conveniently. A microscope or a special instrument, the capillaroscope, is used for this purpose. The use of the microscope (20–100 power magnification) after the application of a drop of clarifying oil to the skin and good oblique illumination provide good visibility. Changes are observed in the capillaries with disturbances of the peripheral blood circulation of a variety of etiologies (in vascular neuroses, the early stages of cardiac insufficiency, end arteritis obliterans). The changes observed during capillaroscopy are not strictly specific to a given pathological condition; they arise as an adaptive mechanism to any disturbance of the general blood flow. There-fore, capillaroscopy is used only as a supplementary diagnostic method in general clinical examinations.

Abstract. Nailfold capillaroscopy is a method of great diagnostic value in the differential diagnosis of primary versus secondary Raynaud´s phenomenon, of systemic sclerosis versus other so called connective tissue diseases and of additional diagnostic value in other entities. Rheumatologists, dermatologists, and angiologists in Germany have convened in an interdisciplinary working group in which they synergistically combined their expertise to develop a common nomenclature and standards for the technical performance of fingernail under microscope. The article gives an overview of historical and technical aspects of capillaroscopy, morphologic findings, and disease-specific patterns. It also provides a critical appraisal of its significance in the diagnosis and sequelae of these interdisciplinarily-managed diseases including its performance in children and gives an excursion in the potential perspectives of capillaroscopy in less common indications.

Capillaroscopy : questions and answers

Capillaroscopy is an essential imaging technique used in the study of microcirculation and one of the best diagnostic tools for the early detection of systemic sclerosis and related conditions. However, despite the increasing interest in capillary microscopy, there is still a surprising discrepancy between its potential application and its still limited use in rheumatological practice. This contrast is really surprising because few diagnostic techniques can combine all the positive features typical of capillaroscopy (low cost, uninvasiveness, repeatability, high sensitivity, good specificity, easy interpretation of results). The lack of guidelines and recommendations concerning the right way to carry out a correct capillaroscopic examination and the interpretation of the most relevant capillaroscopic abnormalities may represent one of the major drawbacks for its widespread use. Discussion about controversies on this topic should be encouraged, leading to a progressive development of capillaroscopy as a routine investigation in rheumatology.

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